Final exam not on paper for Chico State engineering students

Chico State engineering student Katlynn Lawrence shows off the hydraulic drill her group created during an event Tuesday at Chico State University where mechatronic and mechanical engineering students showcased projects they built. The drill will be sent to Tanzania for use by the Kilolo Star Well Drillers.
(Frank Rebelo/Staff Photo)

CHICO — University finals may involve long tests or essays, but for some seniors it included rice drying, water drilling and solar panel cleaning as they showcased their capstone projects.

A group of about 60 mechatronic and mechanical engineering students showcased 13 projects that were designed and built in two semesters Tuesday afternoon.

Students are put in teams and embark in an eight-month-long project sponsored by different companies, said Greg Watkins, professor of mechatronic and mechanical engineering. The students get real-world design experience instead of what can be seen in a textbook.

A hydraulic water drilling rig that was designed and built by Nathaniel Curry, Katlynn Lawrence and the rest of the team was one of the projects displayed in the open area between O'Connell Technology Center and Langdon Engineering Center, but in a couple of months, it will be going to Tanzania, Africa.

The hydraulic drill was designed to improve the water well drilling rig for the Kilolo Star Well Drillers, which is operated manually, Lawrence said.

There are pumps that can dig deeper than the student's model, Curry said. However, their design is smaller and portable, which increases its usability.

It's been a long process and there were several changes, but putting the rig together only took 50 hours, Lawrence said.

Sponsors Ron Reed and Tim Edwards, from Kilolo Star Well Drillers, like it and will be sending it to Tanzania in a couple of months, Curry said.

Another project that will soon be used will be an automated rice dryer designed and built by William Gabe Vivas and members of his team.

Lundberg Family Farms, which farms and produces rice products, was having an issue with its rice dryer, he said. Currently, it's a trailer that has no automated controls and is not efficient.

Lundberg Farms, which sponsored the group, so far likes it and will be incorporating it into its business, Vivas said.

Watkins, who also oversees the capstone project and recruits sponsors, thinks the projects are a benefit for students, who may end up scoring a job with some of the sponsors, he said.

"It's like an eight-month-long interview," he said.

The individual-sponsor model project started six years ago and it grows each year, Watkins said. Sponsors are charged a $5,000 fee, which is used for building the prototype.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is already using one of the student-produced projects.

Students have installed automated solar panel cleaning systems in 86 of the brewery's solar panels, said senior Greg Perez. The purpose was to create an environment-friendly cleaner that will be more efficient than cleaning the panels with mops.

The cleaners only use water and energy when necessary and have the ability to be adjusted to meet the company's desires, Perez said.

The process was surprisingly challenging, he said. It may look simple, but working around the panels' mechanics was tricky.

Other projects included a four-axis selective compliance articulated robot arm that people could play tic-tac-toe and a converter that would turn vegetable oil into biodiesel.

Despite the challenges in completing the projects, the students said they enjoyed producing their work.

It was great to develop something from "a sketch on a napkin" to a tangible thing, Vivas said.

Reach Almendra Carpizo at 896-7760, acarpizo@chicoer, or on Twitter @almendracarpizo.